What is a cinemagraph?

- [Voiceover] Even if you're not familiar with the term,you've probably already seen a cinemagraphin your travels on the internet.Some versions of cinemagraphs that you seeon the web are presented as animated GIFs,while others may link to higher resolution video files.Animated GIFs are the most popular wayto share cinemagraphs on social media sites.The typical animated GIF is generally a short looped video,often created from clips from old movies or tv shows,or they can also be made from animated artwork.An effective cinemagraph, however,has more in common with good photographyand, at times, the hint of a story.

A cinemagraph is not a file formatbut rather a type of image.It's a still image with just a hintof motion somewhere in the scene.Sometimes that motion may appearas a continuously moving element,such as this river approaching the edge of the cliff.This is a very simple cinemagraph, and the soothing motionof the water in this natural scene would be well suitedto display in high resolution in a digital frame.Here's another variation on a simple natural scene.

The only motion here are the drops fallingfrom the ice and the ripples created in the lake.The motion in a cinemagraph is always repetitivesince the basic structure of the mediumis that of a looped video.Some types of motion are better suited to this than others.For instance, naturally repetitive motionsuch as that found in moving water or objectsbeing ruffled by the wind work well in cinemagraphs.In such scenes we expect the motion of wateror wind to be constant and so it looks naturaland is not distracting or contrived.

In scenes where there is an action that happens,such as someone walking through the sceneor a light turning on, that repeating motionor action may become a bit tiresome after a while.Now, in this scene here my sleepy dogwas opening her eyes, but she was so sleepythat she was just doing it very slowly.And so even though this actionis repeated over and over againit does work well in this particular cinemagraph.Where I find the cinemagraph form really intriguingis in mixing it with Photoshop Compositingto create imaginary landscapes or mysterious scenesthat suggest the hint of a story.

This approach allows me to create compositesthat include an element of motion,which can really add an interesting quality to the scene.In this course we'll explore the basic cinemagraph effect,but we'll also take it a step furtherby combining it with compositing techniquesto create an entirely new scene.

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Released

4/6/2016

Put your stills into motion with cinemagraphs. A cinemagraph is a still image that contains a trace of subtle motion: wisps of hair in the breeze, water running through a stream, or a dog's tail wagging.
You can use numerous tools for creating cinemagraphs, and one of the best is Photoshop. With Photoshop's masking, compositing, and video features, you can combine the layers of a still image with video that makes a cinemagraph come to life. Photographer, author, and educator Seán Duggan shows you how.